Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer – Sea Change Project, Western Cape, South Africa

Sea Change Project is looking for its new Chief Executive Officer: a leader who can carry a globally recognised storytelling and science organisation into its next chapter as a well-run, well-funded institution built to last.

• Role: Chief Executive Officer.
• Organisation: Sea Change Project (South African non-profit trust).
• Location: Western Cape, South Africa.
• Reports to: Board of Trustees.
• Contract: Full time.
• Closing date: 22 November 2026.

About Sea Change Project

Sea Change Project works where science, storytelling and policy meet, using story to change how people see and protect the ocean. Our home is the Great African Seaforest, the kelp forest along southern Africa’s coast, a name we coined that is now recognised around the world.

What began as a small collective of divers, scientists and filmmakers has become one of the most widely known ocean organisations anywhere. Our work is rooted in daily immersion in the kelp forest, grounded in marine biology, and told in a way that reaches people far beyond conservation audiences.

Our mantra

Inspiring and supporting a deeper understanding, appreciation and connection between humankind and the living world.

Our mission

Sea Change Project exists to deepen understanding of and connection with the Great African Seaforest and the living world beyond it, and to galvanise its preservation through world-class storytelling that is grounded in marine biology and lived experience.

Our vision

For the Great African Seaforest to be a thriving ecosystem that the world knows, understands and values as a biodiversity hotspot and an irreplaceable ecological, cultural and spiritual asset.

Our work

• My Octopus Teacher: the Academy Award-winning Netflix documentary that reached more than 200 million viewers in 190 countries and moved many of them to explore the ocean for themselves.
• 1001 Seaforest Species: Sea Change Project’s flagship marine biodiversity research initiative, developed in collaboration with Save Our Seas Foundation. Combining scientific research and visual storytelling, it brings together over 1,000 species profiles and a growing network of research collaborators to reveal the extraordinary biodiversity of the Great African Seaforest.
• Books, films and campaigns: including Amphibious Soul and a TIME Magazine Ocean edition cover feature.
• Education and outreach programmes that bring young South Africans into the kelp forest, many of them for the first time.
• A growing role in the global kelp initiative, working with partners to protect kelp forests worldwide.

The Opportunity

Sea Change has grown from a small collective focused on a film into a multi-programme organisation with global reach, and it now needs a CEO to lead the next stage of its evolution. The role takes on the strategic, financial and people leadership previously held by our Executive Director. The CEO will lead a small, talented and independent team of project leads, working alongside the Head of Operations and a central team on day-to-day delivery.

This is a rare chance to shape an organisation whose reach already far exceeds its size, and to build on the current structure, funding base and systems that will allow its work to continue for decades.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and leadership

• Lead the development of Sea Change’s strategy with the Board and team, and turn it into an annual roadmap that drives budgets and priorities.
• Set up and chair a project investment committee, so that new projects are assessed against strategy, capacity and funding before they start.
• Measure and report impact against clear goals.

People and culture

• Integrate and lead a team of highly skilled and independent project leaders.
• Manage the central team, with clear roles, reporting lines, goals and performance reviews.
• Champion and strengthen a culture of transparency and collaboration, so that everyone sees how their work connects to strategy, funding and the whole.
• Steward and evolve the organisation’s structure and workforce planning.

Fundraising and funder relations

• Working alongside the founder and project leads, lead and refine the fundraising strategy and lead relationships with major donors, foundations, corporate partners and institutional funders.
• Lead proposals, business plans and funder reporting, with support from the central team and project leads.
• Build income that is diverse, multi-year and resilient, including through international giving platforms.

Finance and resources

• Lead financial planning, budget forecasting, allocation and cash-flow management, working with the external CFO and financial controller.
• Provide financial oversight across projects, supporting project leads with budget planning and leading regular budget reviews across all projects. Drive efficiency and strategic resource allocation to optimise impact.

Governance, legal and risk

• Ensure that risk management, compliance and reporting are adequate and effective, working with the Board of Trustees to maintain a strong culture of good governance.
• Oversee contracts, MOUs, intellectual property and risk, using legal advisers where needed.
• Keep Sea Change compliant with South African NPO, trust, tax and labour law, and keep its policies up to date.

Partnerships, media and reputation

• Represent Sea Change with partners, funders, government, the media and the global kelp initiative.
• Work closely with the project leaders and Board of Trustees on public engagements, opportunities and correspondence, and protect the organisation’s reputation.
• Provide executive oversight of films, campaigns and other media projects, including their financing, contracts and distribution.

Who We Are Looking For

You are an experienced leader who can bring structure and financial strength to a creative, mission-driven organisation without losing what makes it special.

Essential

• At least 10 years of senior leadership experience, including as CEO, Executive Director or in a similar role in a non-profit, conservation, media or purpose-led organisation.
• Great interpersonal skills, with experience leading and line-managing teams, including setting up reporting lines and performance systems.
• Strong financial literacy: budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management and reporting to boards and funders.
• Excellent communication and relationship skills, with experience representing an organisation to funders, partners, government and the media.
• Sound judgement on legal and governance matters, with working knowledge of South African NPO and trust governance and labour law.

Personal qualities

• A strategic thinker who can bring many voices together into one clear plan.
• Calm, sound judgement under pressure and a strong sense of integrity.
• Collaborative and transparent, able to build trust while holding people to account.
• A genuine passion for the ocean and for Sea Change’s mission.

Desirable

• A track record of raising significant funds from foundations, major donors and international funders.
• Experience in documentary film, media or publishing, including production financing, intellectual property and distribution.
• Experience working alongside a high-profile, public-facing founder.
• A grounding in marine conservation, biodiversity science or environmental policy.
• Respect for and interest in Indigenous knowledge systems.
• A real connection to the Western Cape and its coastline.

What We Offer

You would lead one of the world’s most recognised ocean science and storytelling organisations at a defining moment in its growth, working with a team of scientists, filmmakers, writers and educators who spend their lives in and around the Great African Seaforest.

While this is mainly a remote role, we ideally seek a candidate based in the Western Cape, or willing to travel regularly to the Western Cape.

How to Apply

To apply, please send the following to julia@seachangeproject.com by 22 November 2026:

• Your CV.
• A cover letter of no more than two pages explaining why you want to lead Sea Change and what you would focus on in your first year.
• The names of two referees (we will not contact them without your permission).

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

More information: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sea-change-project-ceo-opportunity-ugcPost-7523305339241357312-82UK/